A City at Sea: Inside the Virgin Voyages Experience (ft. Cynthia Andrew)

Sometimes when we travel, we feel a sense of freedom,
like we've been cast out of our daily routines into
an open field of possibility. But at other times, what
we need the most feels more like a warm hug
to be taken care of and immersed in a candy
land of offerings that make us feel like kids again.
This is Wayfinder, Life changing travel. This podcast goes beyond
the guidebooks into the heart and soul of real life
travelers as they journey around the world. I'm your host,
Daniel Scheffler, and I have spent my life traveling the
globe and staying curious to the ways we human beings
experience the world, whether it's a meeting place, a shared meal,
or a single conversation. I've seen firsthand how our stories
connect us and inspire us. Today we meet Cynthia Andrew,
a content creator, attorney and mom of twins, as she
sets sail on Virgin Voyager's cruise line in search of
rest and relaxation. She quickly uncovered the Virgin Difference with
its always included luxury and kid free reprieve. Cynthia is
a frequent traveler and found her way to Virgin Voyages
seeking a much needed break. Her story reveals how the
cruise experience became more than an adventure. It gave her
a much needed exploration of herself. Every sailor has an
origin story, So how did yours begin?
I was just looking for a way to see a
lot of places I hadn't been to the Caribbean. My
husband's from the Caribbean, and we decided to do a
twelve night cruise and the whole point of it was
to see different parts of the Caribbean.
You know, I'd always heard that cruises don't feed.
That need because you don't get enough time at the place,
and you're in a boat a lot of the time,
and there's so many people. But the reason I keep
returning to cruises is it's truly a travel experience that
is different from getting on a plane or getting on
a train. And that's what I actually like about it.
I love having very different types of travel scs experiences,
and then you can go back and do like a
full trip.
I like that it's a little like the Ammouche Bush
and then you can decide, like whether I'm going to order.
You stayed just enough to know if you want to
go back, and being out in the ocean is a
very like beautiful, unique experience in itself.
People often say to me, oh, the best thing about
being able to be on a cruise is that you
unpack once.
Yeah, Like, let's just imagine how easy is it to
see like five different European cities, or to go to
four or five different Caribbean islands. It's a very complicated process,
not even counting the unpacking. So it's really nice to
know that once you're there, that pressure of how do
I get from A to B is taken care of.
For Cynthia, cruising began a simple way to sample those
bucketless destinations, but what started as an adventure soon became
something deeper, a much needed change in rhythm.
For a lot of us, life is stressful, and I
particularly like trying to take a break from motherhood, trying
to just be in the zone. So prior to the trip,
I literally went on the app and I chose, like,
I want to dine at these places, I want to
go on these tours, and this is the room I
want to be in, and it's all done.
That's it.
That's how Cynthia's travel journey brought her to Virgin Voyages.
The adult only cruise line, offering her a well deserved
respite from life as a mom.
I actually took that cruise solo because I wanted to
just have knee time. Which is funny because I think
some people see Virgin Voyages cruis and they're like, isn't
that like party? But there's something for everybody. So if
you want to have chill time, you could find that
there's so many chill zones and spaces and dining opportunities
that really are suited for someone who just kind of
wants to be more chill, which is what I was
going for. So you can get very different experiences on
what I think is a really well designed, beautiful ship.
Like most of its guests, Cynthia was enamored by Virgin
Voyagers thoughtfully designed spaces, traveling to the Bahamas and Dominican Republic.
The real surprises began the moment she stepped on board
the Scarlet Lady.
I remember the first day, it's almost like a little
kid in a candy store. You're just like, oh my god,
oh I love this space. Okay, so this is where
IM going to hang out. I think as grown ups,
we rarely get a chance to let go and just
be excited about the spaces that have been designed specifically
with us in mind.
Because remember, the one.
Thing about this cruise is there are no kids, so
it felt like everyone getting on the ship when we're
doing the boarding just breathing like a because most people
on this shrip are similarly looking for a breather release celebration,
so it's just super joyful.
By the time she arrived, the festivities were underway, and
like that kid in a candy store, the more she explored,
the more she discovered.
In the center atrium, there's just always live performance music.
Maybe you're just surrounded by this energy and that was
definitely like the heart of the ship.
It's a great place to be.
And then when you launch, there's a welcome party and
like everybody's out up top.
Then it's sealibratory. It feels just fun.
What's also beautiful is you're just surrounded by so many
different people from so many different places in the world,
and it's nice to be reminded how much people can
just love each other.
And it wasn't just the guests creating that positive atmosphere.
The staff.
Honestly, they were just brilliant. It's a fine skill knowing
how to be sufficiently warm without it feeling aggressive, but
also knowing when to pull back, and they just have
that beautiful balance. So yeah, that's like the energy of that.
Ship, surrounded by good spirits and friendly company. Cynthia began
to indulge in all of the offerings on board, most
of which were already baked in.
I did indulge in the wellness meets a while moment.
I am a massage queen, but for the most part,
so much of what you're going to be doing and
experiencing and the meals.
A lot of it is included.
But that's something that of course upfront you could figure
out and say, I want to do this, since I
know that ninety percent or whatever things are included, I'm
going to do this little treaty here. I want to
do this special spa treatment and the ones they have
on there like honestly wah.
For Cynthia, the ship felt like being in a city
on the sea, as if Manhattan was floating in the ocean,
where around every corner is a new opportunity or experience.
I love the pockets of how each space takes you
somewhere else, like they have this really unique dining experience.
You could literally be in Copenhagen the way it's set up,
and then you go to the next place and you're
in a sixties themed American diner, and then you go
to the next place and it feels like you're in Tulu, Mexico.
They figured out how to make these spaces take you
also on another trip.
Eating on board Virgin Voyages is not just about sustenance.
It's an experience, yes, and at one signature restaurant, curiosity
is the main course the test kitchen.
If you're on Virgin Voyages, make sure that you do
go there.
It's honestly one of those really unique dining experiences. Every
day they're working with different ingredients. And what was also
really nice was the chef Kane spoke to me before service.
I had certain accommodations I needed for my diet, and
it felt like such a thoughtful menu that had been
designed for me well in advance. So that's definitely some
super memorable food that I had there.
And what better way to follow a delicious meal than
with the ship's diverse assortment of nightlife.
There were so many shows that's like a huge highlight.
I was actually lucky that while I was there, Boy
George was there, Richard Branson stopped and spoke to everyone.
I love comedy, so pretty much every comedy showed that
there was I was there. There was karaoke, eighties nineties trivia.
They were like board game areas. I saw people getting
together to do that. If you're into the casino. I
went just so I could say I went. I am
not good at gambling. I think I lost all my money,
but I set a very respectable budget.
And I tried it out.
You know, you're somewhere where because you have access to
a variety of things that you don't normally have that
much access to. It's an opportunity to try things. You've
got land days and you have sea days, and so
I think what I did ahead of time was just
figure out, these are all the things I'm going to
do on my sea days because I just want to relax.
I want to check out the Spa, I want to
go eat at these places. And then on my land days.
I planned those ahead and I was like, I want
this kind of culturally immersive tour. So those were the
only things I signed up for. I signed up for
food tours. I love to eat food in different places.
So that's maybe the pre homework you do is just
like what types of experiences do I want and what
new things do I want to try out?
On a cruise, the sea is only half the story.
You've told us so much about the ship. What about
on land? Do you get enough time on shore to
explore the cities you visited?
So for virgin voyages, we had a full day, which
is literally the same amount of time, if not more
than I would spend at a city if I had
a day trip somewhere, Because you have to imagine these
are like multiple day trips where you don't even have
to worry about how you're getting from point A to
point B. So a lot of times we were in
a place a full day, like nine to five, if
not earlier, and sometimes we stayed later. So if you're
worried like, oh, I'm just gonna hop off and hop
back on, I don't think that's accurate. So look at
all the different itineries that are offered. There are so
many different options for all the different ways that people
love to travel. And if you want to have an
itinery where you get to stay on land longer, those.
Exist one day while ducked in the Dominican Republic, Cynthia's
exploratory respite yet again offered a buffet of opportunities.
I love that I took a cultural tour.
It was so beautiful because sometimes I think every place
in the world kind of gets stereotyped, and I think
maybe for a place like the Dominican Republic or a
lot of Caribbean places, it could be like, Okay, the beach,
but I didn't hang out on the beach. When we
were in the Dominican Republic. We went to a cigar factory,
We learned about the local coffee, We learned about artists
and the art that's in dr we went to local market.
It felt so enriching and different from what maybe I
had in my head. And I think those are the
types of immersive experiences that you could actually have on
a cruise.
So if you just want to lay on the beach,
lay on the beach.
But for me, those are the types of experiences that
I really enjoy, and so I just make sure to
sign up for those types of experiences.
And as you said, it's really easy, Like if you're
planning all this stuff yourself, it's hard to arrange all
that stuff and organize how to get then all that.
So this is kind of nice.
Yeah, Like we got off the boat at our group
and we were off.
Oh and the cheese. Oh, the cheese. The cheese was
very cool.
Underrated Dominican Republic cheese.
Yes, yes, that's what I'm saying.
That's not the first thing that I think when you
say Dominican Republic, and then you go there and you
realize just how much part of culture, like want to
a factory. They're like, you will find this cheese in
almost every locals home, and they're showing us why and
the history of it and how specifically they make it.
That's just the kind of stuff that sticks with.
You on any trip. Some travelers chase thrills, while others
chase stillness. Fortunately for Cynthia, she was able to find both.
I'm on social so I actually share a lot of moments,
and people were surprised by how many what you would
call cozy moments I shared while I was on the trip,
and I was like, yeah, So, for example, there's like
the pajama.
Party, very popular.
They had that at the same time as some other
really popular thing, and so the pool deck area was
very quiet that evening, and I was like, you know what,
I actually just want to be out here under the stars.
So I was able to do a lot of that.
They also have a lot of reading corners, and I
would find myself by like a little reading nook and
I just cozy myself in there.
That's really lovely.
Cynthia found a balance between solitude and celebration, both on
the ship and on land places like their private beach
club at Biminy, making a special moment in the Bahamas.
The beach club in Bimini.
That water is mesmerizing, so you could lay out It's
like limitless drinks and food.
They literally set it up like an event.
Everything's rolled out and you just show up and you
enjoy yourself.
So you are.
Fully in control of what your experience looks like. And
I think that's super brilliant. It's your crews, it's your experience,
and the team, the folks over there, they are so helpful.
When I had questions about I'm actually looking for something
like this, like where should I go, They're the ones
that pointed me in the right direction. The crew they
do this all the time. They know so much and
so we got a lot of local recommendations from them.
They're like, oh, you know what, you could just go
off this path where everybody else is and you're going
to find the best fried fish, and we did.
Cynthia Andrew had found her way through the cities on
land and the one floating at sea. By the time
the trip was over, she'd had the solo adventure, she
was craving and returned home refreshed.
It's not even that necessarily you notice, it's everyone around
you that notices it. So you just started getting people
going like, oh, you look so refreshed and relaxed. Then
you seem like your energy is back because being surrounded
by what we've called like a culture or just the
energy that you get on virgin voyages, you really leave
feeling refreshed, feeling positive. It's almost like you went for
a little battery charge.
What do you think most people get wrong about cruising
and how would you set the record straight.
The first thing people get wrong is they think about
a cruise as too many people on a boat.
That's at least what I've heard to me. It doesn't
feel that way.
It feels like I'm going to have this amazing experience
where I get to meet a lot of different people
as I'm on the water, Like how cool is that
sailing across the Atlantic or whichever one you're sailing across.
I think people are always worried about maybe the food.
Maybe some people imagine a massive spread of food and
everybody just jumping and digging in. But Virgin Voyages their
meals were in more actual service.
It's very nice.
I also think people think it's not a real trip
because you're not going to have a real experience of
a place. And that's why I say there's land days
in their sea days. There will be some days where
you're on the ship, and to me, that's an amazing
opportunity to experience all that the ship has to offer.
These ships are huge, they have a lot of different things.
Oh that's another thing. Virgin Voyages doesn't feel massive. It's
just right because there are some mega cruise ships that
can feel super overwhelming and impersonal. They just got the
right amount of people so it doesn't feel overwhelming and
it's not like you're on there with everybody.
So kudos to Virgin Voyages for that.
Also, I would say each cruise experience is different, but
I think sometimes it's so easy to hear a few
stories and then apply that across the board and say, oh,
they're all terrible, they're all like that.
That's not true.
There are different types of experiences and you are more
in controlling you think. So to summarize, I think the
biggest assumption is that people think that cruises are just
like a one size fits all and there's no curating,
no personalization, and it's super generic. And that's not the case,
especially not with what Virgin Voyages have been doing.
For anyone ready to book their next adventure at see
here aus Cynthia's very helpful travel tips.
If you're traveling with Virgin Voyages, I would say just
do a little homework before because there is.
A lot to do.
It will go by really fast and you might end
up leaving the ship feeling like you didn't do everything.
So first off, just get out your little calendar if
you've booked this trip already, and figure out all the
fun things you want to do at se which is
your cruise days. Also think about what you want to
do on land. Another note is some of the very
popular restaurants like Test Kitchen get booked up because they
take reservations, So as soon as you know your cruise dates,
I would actually go lock in reservations to some of
those more unique dining experiences, just because you don't want
to miss out because you didn't get yourself a reservation
well in advance.
Honestly, the last bit is let go have fun.
People are brilliant, connect, chat and leverage staff the crew.
They are your number one resource and even if you
ask someone something they can't help you with, they always
point you in the right direction. So if you're nervous
about anything, you feel like you're not comfortable with something,
do leverage the crew. They're just absolutely brilliant and making
you feel well taken care of.
Cynthia's advice is simple, plan just enough to feel prepared,
then let go and enjoy it. The best discoveries can't
be scheduled.
When people always ask me what was the number one
reason you travel, I say people, because you know sites
are nice. Go see the Eiffel Tower, great, Go see
the souks.
In Morocco brilliant.
But what I actually often take back with me is people,
I'm just thinking about the person who took care of
my cabin and chatting about his experience and how long
he'd been doing it. And I made a lot of friends.
So that's kind of what I will come back to
the ship beautiful. Yes, was there a lot to do, Yes,
But when all is said and done, the thing that
I always keep with me is the connections I have
with people. It's a reminder that there are opportunities in
places where you can be reminded about the goodness of humanity.
And for Virgin Voyages, I think it's just it's the
culture and you feel it.
Cynthia was determined to get a break from her kids
and relax, but had no idea she'd get to feel
like a kid herself. On board Virgin Voyages, she reached
new destinations, ate delicious food, found the quiet spaces, and
made some lasting friendships. Even on a solo trip. She
got to indulge in all that the journey had to
offer and felt fully most and refreshed by the time
she reached the final part. There are many ingredients that
make a travel journey complete, but ultimately it's the way
we connect with our surroundings, ourselves and others that nurish
us the most. Wherever your voyage leads you next, may
you follow these connections to guide you on your way.
I'm Daniel Scheffler and this has been Wayfinder. Wayfinder Life
Changing Travel is a production of Iheart's Ruby Studio. I'm
your host Daniel Scheffler. Our show's executive producer is Sierra Kaiser,
with supervising producer Meredith Barns. Our story producer is Ryan Amador,
with post production by James Foster and editing by Sierra Spreen.
Don't forget to subscribe to Wayfinder, and please rate and
review the show wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening.
This episode was brought to you by Virgin Voyagers. Book
now at Virgin voyages dot com or contact your travel
advisor